News

Medical card: new doctor crisis

UP to 15,000 Irish medical card holders are not registered with a doctor, due to a lack of GPs signing up to the general medical scheme (GMS).

According to the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), which represents doctors, the problem is most acute in north Dublin, where the ratio of patients to doctors is one to 2,500 — well above the national average.

About 1,800 of Ireland’s 2,500 GPs are signed up to the medical card scheme, but it needs 150 new recruits a year because of population increases and doctor retirements. Currently, only 75 new doctors are signing up each year.

Medical card holders are not getting basic care due to the manpower shortage, the IMO says. Its conference next month is expected to call for a renegotiation of the contract under which doctors sign up to treat medical card holders.